Post operative

Hi there, I think there’s a few people on here who’s had their stomach removed ( total Gastrectomy)  my husbands having the same operation on the 11th Jan so I’m following your question, my husbands 79 and it’s me doing the worrying, all I can think about is the bad things. When do you have the op? and are you having chemo first. Good luck x 

Hi Brian 

I had a partial gastrectomy four years ago and returned to work after six weeks.  I was lucky that I was able to have a phased return.  I now eat and drink pretty much as before but smaller portions.

I found the Oesophageal Patient Association really helpful. https://opa.org.uk  
I was lucky in that the chemo before surgery eradicated the cancer and I decided not to have post op chemo.  My cancer was very aggressive but found very early.

I found the recovery from surgery much easier than I expected.  I wrote a Blog which you may find helpful  Jacquiw10 

This group is a great support so do post questions!

Good luck!

Hi Sue, I'm 72 and my operation is on the 4th of January.  I have a  T2N0 staged adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia .I've had four cycles of chemotherapy and all the tests show the cancer hasn't spread . The cancer is very close to the gastro- oesophagus junction and it has been decided that a full  gastrectomy promises the best outcome. Because of my age I'm concerned that the post operative stage may be the real issue ..

I'd like to hear from people of a similar age who have gone through this and if so how it has affected their quality of life ..I'm off sick at present but I'm still an active mantainance engineer and am concerned that after the op that will no longer be possible. 

Hi Jac, your reply was very encouraging. I too was hoping for a partial gastrectomy as my cancer was diagnosed at  an early stage and is close to the GI junction but the surgical team has decided on  full gastrectomy for reasons which I don't fully understand. 

The print is so small on my screen that I struggle to complete a full response because its so time consuming!

There were lots of people who had a total gastrectomy when I was going through treatment.   They all recovered well , eating was a bit more difficult to get used to. Dumping can be more common.  I was always focused on what I could do to get some control.  I bought the book The Art of Eating without a Stomach!  It helped me to plan how I was going to manage post operation.

I only had 15% of my stomach left and had part of my bowel removed, eleven years earlier due to bowel cancer!  So I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to eat normally again!  
Being as fit as possible before the operation helped - building up walking after chemo and eating really well!  
If I can help with any advice please just post or send a message!

Good luck!

Hi again Brian, I agree with you about the print been so small on the screen, in fact I find the whole site hard to work, it had an upgrade a few years back and since then I find it so hard to work, but then again I’m not very tech savvy ! 
Anyhow I just wanted to say you’ve received more info than we have, we still don’t know what stage and grade my husband is but according to the endoscopy he had first of all his cancer is the same place as yours in the cardia. After the staging Lap we asked what stage and was told they won’t know till after the big op, seems strange to me as a lot of people know after that. 
You must have had your pre op and fitness test, how did you find that, my husbands is Thursday. 
As I said he’s 79:and fairly fit for his age but like you it’s what’s life like after the surgery, From reading and talking I think it’ll take time to get used to the new plumbing but it is doable, well that’s what I keep hearing anyhow.

Good luck for Wednesday Brian and please when you can come back on here and let us know how your doing. Oh what hospital are you having the op at. Take Care x

Good advice Jac , especially the book .I'm encouraged by your comments because I haven't spoken with anyone who has had the procedure. 

It's good to know that life can return to some sort of normality. As things stand I have no symptoms so I can't quite grasp that this is actually happening and my fear was that I go from someone who is perfectly healthy to this sick person with no stomach. Your response has allayed a lot of these fears .thank you. 

Op has been postponed for one week which brought a sense of immediate relief tinged with mild concern .

I have had my pre op fitness test and was graded "Stsndard " which I'm told is good . 

You sit on an exercise bike and they monitor your heart  rate , blood pressure,  oxygen levels etc. My op is to take place at Leicester Royal so I had to pay quite a few visits to Leicester even though I live in Northampton .That also includes a pre op covid test in Leicester the day before the op .

I'm reasonably confident that despite our ages we will come through this , we have to place our faith in the medical team .In these stringent times when time and resources are scarce the surgical team must have confidence in our outcoms !

Absolutely! They wouldn’t go ahead with the operation if you weren’t fit enough.  The delay may be the availability of an HDU bed.  I was in HDU for five days and got home on day 6.  Though that was really quick- my sister is a nurse and I had no complications.   I had no pain after the operation as it was really well managed. There’s a clear pathway which determines how much you can drink and then eat post op.  

I am away with my family for NY and we were out for a lovely meal last night!  I remember breaking down in tears at midnight four years ago, I was so scared! So do believe, you will still enjoy these things post op! 

You are right in having faith in the medical team!  They do this every day!  
I don’t think it’s about age- rather it’s your fitness level.   
The delay will be difficult as you psych yourself up for the date! So use the time to work on getting as fit as possible!  

Good luck!

Hi Brian, it looks like you and my husband will be having the op on the same day then ( if his doesn’t get put back) 

He’s so like you with having no symptoms and the cancer In the same place, his was only found as he had a PET scan for something else, (2 other cancers kidney and lymphoma ) we haven’t been told the stage and grade but did read the size is 3.6cm, I don’t know if this is big or not?.

He has just received today his covid test so I guess he does that himself at home the day before the op.

Yes Jac has been a great help to me and I’ll be forever grateful to her, always there when needed. Thanks Jac xx

Take Care and have a lovely New Year Eve, I’m staying in xx